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Will Anderson be at Manchester United next season?

The Brazilian midfielder has still not got close to living up to his potential at Manchester United, and is still well off securing a first team place in the side. Can his career at Old Trafford be resurrected?

For all of his fitness issues and indeed his persistent failure to perform well regularly at Manchester United, there is still hope that Anderson can turn around his career in England.

Six years is a long time to be at a club like United without ever really developing, and Anderson’s failure to progress is a confusing anomaly. Normally a player with Anderson’s record would have been cast aside long ago, especially given the problems with his weight that suggest a slightly questionable attitude towards his career, but Alex Ferguson has shown great forbearance towards the 24 year old Brazilian.

However you would suspect that cannot last much longer, and Anderson either needs a stellar last few months of the season of he will find himself on his way come the summer.

There was recent speculation that Anderson himself had tried to leave the club on several occasions, and although the player denied the quotes attributed to him, a parting of ways does seem likely even if Anderson himself might want to stay.

Perhaps the best option for all parties would be for Anderson to go out on loan in the summer. The player needs to start playing football regularly if there is any chance he can fulfill his potential, and he might also be aware of the fact that he has not played a game for Brazil since 2008.

A successful loan might make it more likely he will get more games for both Manchester United and Brazil in the future. It might also restore some motivation to the player to ensure he maintains match fitness.

Anderson is clearly a talented player, and even this season he has produced some excellent performances for Manchester United. If he could nail down a starting place somewhere, he might rediscover the form that made United pay £20 million for him as a teenager.

There’s a strong chance the Brazilian will leave the club this summer, but it might it Manchester United’s best interest to try sending him out on loan before allowing a permanent switch.

Nick Harris

I'm Nick Harris, Spurs fan and sports writer. Alongside HITC, I'm the founder, editor, writer, and fan of footballspirals.com and can be found on Twitter - @nicksharris. When I'm not watching sport I'm usually drinking coffee and checking updates on my phone in an antisocial manner.